The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved use of Opdivo (nivolumab, BMS) to treat patients with advanced (metastatic) squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

Opdivo’s efficacy to treat squamous NSCLC was established in a randomized trial of 272 participants, of whom 135 received Opdivo and 137 received docetaxel. The trial was designed to measure the amount of time participants lived after starting treatment (overall survival). On average, participants who received Opdivo lived 3.2 months longer than those participants who received docetaxel.

The safety and efficacy of Opdivo to treat squamous NSCLC was supported by a single-arm trial of 117 participants who had progressed after receiving a platinum-based therapy and at least one additional systemic regimen. The study was designed to measure objective response rate (ORR), or the percentage of participants who experienced partial shrinkage or complete disappearance of the tumor. Results showed 15 percent of participants experienced ORR, of whom 59 percent had response durations of six months or longer.

The most common side effects of Opdivo are fatigue, shortness of breath, musculoskeletal pain, decreased appetite, cough, nausea and constipation. The most serious side effects are severe immune-mediated side effects involving healthy organs, including the lung, colon, liver, kidneys and hormone-producing glands.

Opdivo works by inhibiting the cellular pathway known as PD-1 protein on cells that blocks the body’s immune system from attacking cancerous cells. Opdivo is intended for patients who have previously been treated with platinum-based chemotherapy.

Opdivo for squamous NSCLC was reviewed under the FDA’s priority review program, which provides for an expedited review of drugs that treat serious conditions and, if approved, would provide significant improvement in safety or effectiveness in the treatment of a serious condition. Opdivo is being approved more than three months ahead of the prescription drug user fee goal date of June 22, 2015, the date when the agency was scheduled to complete its review of the application.

The FDA previously approved Opdivo to treat patients with unresectable (cannot be removed by surgery) or metastatic melanoma who no longer respond to other drugs.

"Clovis Oncology has launched the TIGER2 study for its non-small cell lung cancer drug CO-1686, an agent the company is studying as a treatment for advanced patients with tumors characterized by EGFR mutations and the T790M resistance mutation.

"CO-1686 is an irreversible EGFR inhibitor. Clovis this week said it has dosed the first patient in the TIGER2 Phase I/II trial, which is focused on gauging the efficacy of CO-1686 in NSCLC patients who have progressed on their first and only anti-EGFR treatment."

Editor's note: Some people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have tumor cells with mutations in the EGFR gene (oncologists often use a tumor biopsy to check for this mutation in a patient). These patients can be treated with targeted drugs known as EGFR inhibitors. EGFR inhibitors can shrink tumors at first, but over time, tumors may become resistant to the drugs and start growing again. Often, this is because of a new, additional mutation that occurs in the EGFR gene called T790M. A new clinical trial is enrolling volunteer patients with the T790M mutation to test a new drug meant to overcome EGFR inhibitor resistance. The drug is called CO1-686.
Via Cancer Commons

Ceritinib (Zykadia) produced good response in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) overexpressing ALK, regardless of prior treatment for that target, an early phase trial showed.

Ceritinib was associated with an overall response rate of 55% in patients previously treated with crizotinib (Xalkori) and 66% in those naive to that ALK inhibitor, Dong-Wan Kim, MD, of the Seoul National University Hospital, and colleagues found.

Editor's note: This article is about a drug called ceritinib (brand name Zykadia), which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Dug Administration (FDA), allowing doctors in the U.S. to prescribe it to patients who 1) have advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 2) have tumor cells with mutations in the ALK gene, as detected by molecular testing, and 3) have tried treatment with crizotinib (Xalkori) but experienced worsening of their cancer. According to the new research described in this article, ceritinib may actually be beneficial whether or not the patient was previously treated with crizotinib.
Via Cancer Commons

"At first glance, the connection between a cancer diagnosis and depression might seem to be an obvious one. However, in patients battling this life-threatening disease, depression can have a serious impact, and even worsen the odds of survival. While the best approach to interrupting this vicious cycle is not fully understood, clinicians can help patients improve their odds by availing them of therapeutic resources and open communication."

So few survivors are being screened for anxiety and depression - which impact quality of life. It's important for survivors and caregivers to be aware of these ten things and communicate with healthcare providers when necessary.

"MIT researchers have devised a novel cancer treatment that destroys tumor cells by first disarming their defenses, then hitting them with a lethal dose of DNA damage.

"In studies with mice, the research team showed that this one-two punch, which relies on a nanoparticle that carries two drugs and releases them at different times, dramatically shrinks lung and breast tumors. The MIT team, led by Michael Yaffe, the David H. Koch Professor in Science, and Paula Hammond, the David H. Koch Professor in Engineering, describe the findings in the online edition of Science Signaling."

Editor's note: This story is about a new treatment that has been studied in mice. While it is possible that the treatment could eventually make it to clinical trials with humans, the treatment currently cannot be used to treat cancer.

"Findings from a phase I study of a new mutant-selective epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, AZD9291, point to a promising new treatment option for patients with advanced, EGFR-mutant, non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that is resistant to standard EGFR inhibitors. Roughly 50% of patients experienced tumor shrinkage, and the drug worked particularly well in patients with the T790M mutation (detected in 60% of patients), which causes the most common form of EGFR therapy resistance. The study was presented at a presscast in advance of the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 8009^)."

Editor's note: This story is about a new targeted therapy drug called AZD9291 that is designed to attack tumors with a mutation in the EGFR gene, as detected by molecular testing. In particular, it is designed for patients who are resistant to other so-called EGFR inhibitors as a result of developing a particular EGFR mutation known as T790M. In a clinical trial to test the drug in patients, it was found to show promising results for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutations, and even better results in patients with the T790M mutation.

"Major lung surgery has become progressively safer over the last few decades, although higher death rates at low-volume hospitals and an unexpected increase in mortality at 90 days compared to 30 days were observed. The study further suggests that choosing a center that performs major lung surgery regularly can have a strong impact on survival."

"A trip to almost any bookstore or a cruise around the Internet might leave the impression that avoiding cancer is mostly a matter of watching what you eat. One source after another promotes the protective powers of 'superfoods,' rich in antioxidants and other phytochemicals, or advises readers to emulate the diets of Chinese peasants or Paleolithic cave dwellers.

"But there is a yawning divide between this nutritional folklore and science. During the last two decades the connection between the foods we eat and the cellular anarchy called cancer has been unraveling string by string."

"Originating from the Latin word pallium, meaning 'a cloak,' palliative care offers relief from the symptoms and stresses of cancer. It’s not a replacement for therapies like chemotherapy, radiation or surgery that treat the illness. Instead, it’s a companion therapy.

"For someone with a serious condition that affects quality of life, 'if you want the best care possible and you’re getting cancer care without palliative care, then you’re not getting the best care,' says Diane Meier, a geriatrician and palliative care specialist who directs the Center to Advance Palliative Care."

Editor's note: Palliative care is often mistakenly equated with hospice care or end-of-life care. In fact, any cancer patient can seek palliative care to complement their treatment and improve quality of life.

"Researchers have taken the next step in confirming the identity of previously unknown gene mutation that drives lung cancer development. Scientists at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) originally identified the mutation in one patient out of nine with advanced lung cancer who responded well to the drug sorafenib. The clinical trial involved 306 participants total.

"Within two months of beginning treatment, the patient had demonstrated a near complete response, and she remained progression-free and asymptomatic for five years while continuing to take sorafenib by mouth."

Editor's note: Different patients' tumors have different genetic mutations. More and more, doctors are using patients' tumor genetics to match patients with treatments that are most likely to work for them. Now, researchers have discovered a mutation called S214C, which may help doctors predict some lung cancer patients' responses to treatment. The mutation was found in a patient in a clinical trial who responded particularly well to a drug called sorafenib.

Advertisements for cancer centers often appeal to consumers’ emotions but rarely provide useful information about the benefits, risks, or costs of treatment, a recent analysis concluded.

“ 'We found that cancer therapies were promoted more commonly than supportive or screening services and were often described in vague or general terms,' the authors wrote in the May 27 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. 'Advertisements commonly evoked hope for survival, promoted innovative treatment advances, and used language about fighting cancer while providing relatively limited information about benefits, risks, costs, or insurance coverage of advertised therapies.' "

"The IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics issued a detailed report titled, 'Innovations in Cancer Care and Implications for Health Systems,' and the Alliance for Integrity and Reform of 340B said the report shows that the drug discount program is a driver in the rise in treatment costs for patients with cancer."

"Lung cancer patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma have seen few treatment advancements over the last two decades, leaving these patients with a poor prognosis. This is in contrast to the progress seen in nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results from the largest ever Phase III trial in first-line squamous NSCLC announced by Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today provide the first detailed look at a potential new treatment option for these patients."

Editor's note: This story is about a clinical trial that found promising results for some lung cancer patients treated with the new targeted therapy drug necitumumab. Necitumumab appears to benefit some patients with stage IV squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

"Implementation of a national lung cancer screening program using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) will identify almost 55,000 additional lung cancer cases over 5 years, but will add more than $9 billion to Medicare expenditures, according to results of a new study.

"Joshua A. Roth, PhD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, discussed the economic analysis during a press conference in advance of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, where results will be formally presented at the end of the month. He noted that following the positive results of the National Lung Screening Trial, the US Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended LDCT screening in healthy persons between the ages of 55 and 80 with at least 30 pack-years of smoking history. Medicare, meanwhile, is expected to release a draft decision on screening coverage in November of this year. 'That decision will likely heavily weight the Task Force’s recommendation,' Roth said."

"Fifty per cent of people diagnosed with cancer today will survive their disease for at least 10 years, according to landmark figures published by Cancer Research UK today.

"In the early 1970s just a quarter of people diagnosed with cancer survived 10 years.

"Today, Cancer Research UK sets out an ambitious new strategy to accelerate progress with the ambition that three-quarters (75 per cent) of all cancer patients diagnosed in 20 years time will survive at least 10 years."

"The Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) conducted a daylong hearing during which several clinicians and members of the public testified about the benefits and risks of lung cancer screening with low-dose CT."

"An expert opinion on managing treatment for elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer has been recently published. This update includes recommendations for screening, surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy, treatment of locally advanced and metastatic disease as well as new data on patient preferences and geriatric assessment."

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.